Shadole
by doommuffin
Summary: On a hiatus. Probably forever. Heh...sorry bout that. It was a good idea, I'm just lazy.
1. Default Chapter

            Hi people. You can't complain about this story, cause it's sort of an experiment. I don't know what's gonna happen, I have nothing planned. I just had a creative spurt and had to write, and I didn't feel like updating Being Sick is Uncool. Please tell me what you think, cause I honestly don't know if I should continue this or not. Oh yeah, if you're confused about the whole yo-yo thing, if you read Being Sick is Uncool, you'd understand.

Shadole

Chapter 1

            Purple was lounging in Tallest quarters of the Massive, sipping on an Irken soda. He sat slouched in his chair, his feet sitting on the table in front of him. He hadn't had the best day. Invader Swiss had been discovered and disposed of, and now the planet she had been studying, Saloko, was in a rage. He sighed and guzzled the rest of his soda, throwing the can over to the side.

            Red was going through papers, chewing on a pen. The whole Saloko problem was giving him a headache. He had to fill out document after document while Purple just relaxed in his chair. Saloko wanted to declare war against Irk, which would be a major issue. Salokeon people were ruthless fighters, and had advanced weapons. Irk would have a hard time fighting them.

            "Could you get me another soda?" Purple asked, pulling out a yo-yo. He cradled it lovingly.

            "Why don't you get it yourself?!" replied Red, frustrated. "Hey...didn't I break that yo-yo?" Purple glared at Red, and he brought the yo-yo close to his chest.

            "Mr. Whizhead shall never die," Purple said, caressing the yo-yo.

            "Uggh..." Red groaned, disgusted by Purple's immaturity. "I need a break."

            "From the paper work?"

            "No. From you," Red said as he left the quarters. He was getting sick of Purple's childish behavior. It was his fault Invader Swiss had been discovered in the first place. Purple decided to send Swiss an invisibility suit, and accidentally sent a malfunctioning one. Swiss had infiltrated the planet's main military facility when it went haywire. The suit locked itself, freezing Swiss in position, and it turned the cloaking device off. Swiss was quickly destroyed.

            Red finally reached the dining area of the ship. He entered the room and switched on the lights. "Cook, get me two sodas and a sandwich," he called to the kitchen window. He expected the usual reply from the cook, a cheerful 'You got it,' but there was no answer. "Cook!" Red yelled louder, becoming impatient. He sighed angrily, then entered the kitchen.

            "Note to self, hire a new cook," Red told himself as he hovered to the refridgerator. He opened it and pulled out two sodas. He decided he wasn't hungry and didn't get a sandwich. He left the kitchen and started to head out the dining area door when he heard a crash from behind.

            "Cook, is that you?" Red said, looking behind him toward the kitchen. The lights suddenly flicked off. Red heard the dining area's door lock. He looked around him, a little spooked.

            "Somebody's playing a trick on me, and when I find out who it is..," Red spoke out threateningly, his voice shaking a little. He felt something cold go past the back of his neck, and he spun around. He saw two almond shaped eyes in front of him, colored a periwinkle blue. They looked angry.

            "Sorry, tall one," a hissing voice said, "but this is no trick."

            Red turned to run, but something wrapped around him and brought him to a halt. He yelled out in alarm, then felt his mind and body separate. Something was invading his body, stealing it away from his control. In the last few moments of consciousness, he saw the blue eyes glaring at him, and then there was nothing.

-------------------------

            "It's about time you got back," Purple said, glaring at Red as he entered the Tallest quarters. "Now, where's my soda?" 

            "Here," Red said, throwing the can of Irken Delight at Purple. Purple caught it and smiled.

            "Thank y-" Purple started to say, but was cut short when he looked up at Red. Red's eyes were brown, with black circles around them. He was looking off into space, like he was looking through things. 

            "Red?" Purple asked, staring at Red worriedly. He heard a hissing sound, and realized it was coming from his soda can. He looked down at it and saw an ink-like bubble across the top, with two light blue dots floating in it. Purple brought the can closer to his face, trying to study was he was seeing. The black bubble grew larger and lunged at Purple, grabbing his face.

            "AAAAAIIIIEEEEEY!"

-------------------------

            "Let's create a giant spoon of doom!" Gir cried out happily.

            "No," Zim replied, staring at his blank piece of notebook paper.

            "How 'bout a giant fork?"

            "No."

            "A giant spork?"

            "Being giant doesn't make a kitchen utensil evil, Gir," Zim said angrily, rubbing at his forehead. "I don't get it...I haven't been able to come up with one brilliantly evil scheme all week. What's wrong with me?!" He banged his head on the table. Gir giggled and imitated his master.

            Zim sighed. "Maybe I'm losing my evil touch..." His thoughts were interrupted by the alarm of the computer.

            "Incoming transmission from the Massive!"

            Zim lifted up his head, the notebook paper sticking to his forehead, and pushed a button. The Tallest had never called him before. He'd always had to call them. Zim straightened himself up so he'd look like a good soldier for the Tallest. After a few moments, the Tallest appeared on the screen.

            "Hello, my Tallest!" Zim said, saluting his leaders. He felt the notebook paper on his head and quickly pulled it off. He chuckled to hide his embarrassment. "How are things?"

            The Tallest looked in opposite directions, Red looking up at the ceiling, Purple looking straight down at the floor. "Yes, hello...invader," Red said, his voice changing pitches unnaturally. "We are the Tallest...your leaders. We are calling you to let you know that we are sending you a package."

            "A package?! For me?!" Zim cried out in excitement.

            "Yes. It is a special liquid that will increase your strength and agility. Make sure you drink it as soon as it arrives," Purple said, his voice also changing pitches irregularly. He flailed his arms and fell down.

            "Bye," said Red, and he waved his arm in a circle.

            "Oh, thank you!" Zim said, bouncing up and down in his chair. The transmission went to static, and Zim turned the screen off. "Did you hear that Gir? The Tallest are sending ME a special package!" 

            "The Tallest looked drunk," Gir said, giggling.

            "Yeah, I noticed that too," Zim said, scratching his chin. "They didn't sound right either...oh well! Who cares? I get a package!"

            "...of doom?"

            "Yes! A package of DOOM!"

-------------------------

            Zim headed straight to skool the next day, leaving Gir alone at the house. Gir was used to being alone, and he kept himself occupied by watching television or making a mess in the kitchen. Today was a television day.

            "SWIPER NO SWIPING!" Gir shouted as he saw a fox with a bandanna around his head creep behind a Spanish girl and her monkey.

            "What?" the Spanish girl on the television asked. "Do you see Swiper?"

            "YEEESSS!" Gir screamed.

            "Where?"

            Gir pointed at the fox, who hid behind a tree when the Spanish girl and her monkey looked for him.

            "I don't see him," said the monkey.

            "AAAAAAHHHG!" Gir yelled angrily, and he blew up the TV. "Oops...hee hee!" Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Gir quickly put on his dog costume and answered the door. 

            "I'm looking for a Mr. Zim," the zitty delivery boy said.

            "I'm his sister!" Gir chimed happily and took the package, slamming the door in the boy's face. He quickly tore open the box and went through the package peanuts. He pulled out a glass bottle filled with black liquid. The cap was a skull head with blue jewels in the eye sockets.

            "Ooooh..," Gir whispered as he pulled the skull head cap off. The black liquid inside shot out of the bottle, straight into the air. It landed on the floor and spread out into a puddle. A tall figure emerged from the puddle, seeming to come out of the floor. Its head was like a large tear drop, and it hovered above its neck. Its shoulders were pointed, and Gir couldn't tell where the beings chest separated from its arms. It had no legs, but it did have a pointed tail. Soon there was hardly anything left of the puddle, but the remainder of it split into two almond shapes and floated up to the beings head. The blobs connected to where the eyes would be and started glowing a light blue. The being hissed, and looked down at itself, inspecting its claws, arms, and torso.

            "I'm FREE!" the creature hissed, clenching its fists. It laughed, throwing its head back. It looked down at Gir for a moment, then quickly darted into the shadows where it could not be seen.

Spooky, no? If you people are interested, let me know, so I'll continue it. Everything will be explained in further chapters(if I write any). I'll see you later, all. Peace.

                                                                                                -Crystal


	2. Chapter 2

                Aiiiey! I haven't updated this in...EVER! Sorry! A thousand pardons! I am gonna be updating this _sorta frequently, probably every other weekend. Hopefully. Maybe. Yes. I don't know. I'll try. ^_^; Uh, yeah. Oh, and I forgot the disclaimer in the first chapter._

Disclaimer: I don't own the IZ characters or the name Shadole, which came from a video game that I played. P.S.- don't sue! :-)

                Chapter Two

                Zim went straight to the base as soon as skool let out. He ran almost the whole way, his excitement growing as he got closer. As soon as he reached the house, he rushed through the door, closed and locked it, threw off his wig and contacts and cried, "Is it here?! Is it here?!" 

                Gir sat next to the open box, styrofoam peanuts on the floor around him and in his mouth. The open bottle that once held the creature laid on the floor. Zim's broad smile quickly faded as he realized what happened. He clenched his fists and growled, then breathed out a deep sigh.

                "Gir...I thought I told you NOT to open any packages," Zim said, choking back his anger and disappointment.

                "But...but...the inky stuff exploded out of the pretty bottle, and it was all spooky like! It was the blob! THE BLOB!" Gir cried, waving his arms around. Zim stared at him blankly for a moment, then rubbed at his forehead.

                "I suppose I could just ask the Tallest for another bottle..," he said. "Gir, from now on, if I'm expecting a package, I'm locking you in the attic."

                "But I didn't do it!" Gir cried, but Zim just shook his head. 

                "I'll be down in the lab. Just watch TV or something."

                "The TV got exploded."

                "..."

-------------------------

                Zim went down to the weapons lab. He was trying to fix the heat detector on a heat seeking missile. He got some tools and put on a pair of goggles, then set to work. This repair would take several hours of careful work to complete, so Zim had locked the elevator shaft to keep Gir out.

                "What am I going to do now? If I ask the Tallest for another bottle, they'll just think I drank the first bottle and want another so I can be a super powered freakazoid. How did Gir manage to drink all of that stuff anyway? It would have scrambled his circuits," he said to himself as he worked. After a long time of work, he heard a hissing sound..

                "Gir?" Zim asked uncertainly. He pulled off his goggles and turned around. There wasn't anything there. Zim studied the area for a moment, then shrugged. He turned back to his repairs. A few moments later, he felt something tap at the back of his neck, and heard another hiss. He quickly spun around, holding a wrench threateningly.

                "Who's there?!" Zim demanded. He looked around the lab, but still didn't see anything. "Show yourself!" Zim yelled, and he stomped his foot angrily. 'Maybe I am a schizo..,' he thought to himself. Suddenly, something swooped down from the ceiling and tackled Zim. It was all black with shiny periwinkle eyes. It wrapped its tail around Zim's waist and put a clawed finger under Zim's chin.

                "I am Vapor, a Shadole. You're very lucky, my little green friend. You get to be possessed by one of the best," he said. Zim stared wide eyed at the being, then frantically struggled to get free. Vapor chuckled, then arched his back like an animal ready to pounce. He kept this pose for a few moments, then rushed at Zim.

                Zim shot an electrified wire out of the backpod at Vapor. It hit Vapor on the forehead. "EEYYAAAGH!" he screamed, and he let Zim go. Zim landed on his stomach, quickly got up, then threw the wrench that he'd been holding at Vapor. It conked him on the head, and he swerved in a little circle for a moment and fell. 

                Zim pulled the wire back in the backpod and smiled in victory. "Nice try, Mr...Slim Shady? Shade? Shadow? Dole? Bob Dole?" Zim scratched his head. "Uhhh...what are you again?"

                "Just shut up!" Vapor said, rubbing his head. He got up, slapped Zim across the face, the hid in the shadows. He glared at Zim from his hiding spot, which was at the ceiling in the corner of the lab. 'This one will require some work,' he thought, annoyed. He didn't like jobs that took longer than they should. He was already behind schedule. Queen Shade would have a fit. Vapor shuddered.

                "That was weird," Zim said, rubbing at his slapped cheek. He looked around the lab nervously. "I think I'll just go to bed," he said. It was almost 9, and Zim had wanted to go to bed early for a change. Ms. Bitters had yelled at him for falling asleep several times during class. She said that if he fell asleep one more time, he'd have to repeat the grade. Zim cringed, imagining what it would be like to have Ms. Bitters for another year.

                Vapor grinned, seeing Zim planning to go to bed. He could easily take over his body as he slept. He wouldn't suspect a thing. Vapor could even help lull him to sleep. He quickly dashed behind Zim, compressed himself to a smaller size, then hid on Zim's pant leg. 'This will be all too easy,' Vapor thought, holding back his laughter.

                Zim unlocked the elevator and rode it up to his sleeping quarters. He threw off his shirt and put on a baggier one which looked the same. Most of the time he'd just sleep in his uniform, but he'd always wake up smelling bad, and Ms. Bitters yelled at him for that too. He kept the same pair of pants on, because he'd grown sleepy and was too lazy to change. Zim decided to sleep in a bed tonight, because the chair he usually slept on was hurting his spine. He kicked off his boots and pulled off his gloves, then jumped in bed and pulled the covers over his body.

                'Now's the time to make my move,' Vapor thought eagerly. He crawled over Zim's body up to his neck, then hid in the back of his shirt collar. He cleared his throat. 

                "Sleeeeep...that's right, go to sleeeeep," Vapor whispered in a low, soothing voice. Zim yawned and rolled to his side, digging his head into the pillow. Vapor started humming a lullaby, and Zim soon dozed off. "Simpleton," Vapor said, thinking Zim was completely asleep. But Zim was still half awake, and he heard the insult.

                "Waaaait a minute..," Zim said out loud, drowsiness showing in his voice. "Why would I hum myself to sleep?"

                "Uhh...I'm your conscious," Vapor said nervously.

                "No you're not, my conscious doesn't sound like you," Zim said, yawning. "Uggg...I'm probably just dreaming this all up anyway." He rubbed his eyes, then snuggled back into the pillow.

                "That's right...why fight sleep? Why struggle against it? Just rest," Vapor whispered, growing impatient. It showed in his voice. Zim noticed it, and he became more alert.

                "Why the heck would I be telling myself not to 'struggle' against sleep? Since when did I 'fight' going to bed? Who are you?!" Zim said, and he sat up and looked around.

                "I already told you...I'm your conscious," Vapor replied uneasily.

                "No you're not, my conscious is in my head! You're out here some where! You...You're that thing that attacked me earlier, aren't you?!" Zim said, and he turned the light.

                "I-I don't know what you're talking about.."

                "Come out of hiding!" Zim demanded, and he waited a moment. "Fine. Be that way. But you're not taking over my body."

                "Fight against me all you want," Vapor said, no longer trying to hide who he really was. "But once you hit the pillow and enter your little dream world, you're mine." He grinned. "I hope you have coffee."

-------------------------

                "You're snoring," Vapor said loudly. Startled, Zim jumped up to a sitting position. Vapor was floating above him, back to his normal size. Zim rubbed his eyes an yawned.

                "Merely resting my eyes...that's all..," Zim said, his words half slurred. Vapor glared at him, then crossed his arms and grinned.

                "You do realize that I could take over your body whenever I want, right? I'm just waiting for you to go to sleep, just to prove how weak and pathetic you are," he said. Zim mumbled something angrily, then pulled a book out from under the bed. He propped the pillows up behind him and laid back, then opened the book wide so he didn't half to look at Vapor's face.

                Vapor sighed in annoyance. "It's only a matter of time...why don't you save yourself the embarrassment of defeat and surrender?"

                "How 'bout you shut up?!" Zim yelled angrily, even though he knew Vapor was right. He couldn't stay up forever. But he'd try.

-------------------------

                Soon the sun rose, and it was time for Zim to get ready for skool. He threw the covers toward Vapor, who dodged them easily. Zim groggily pulled his gloves, boots, and regular uniform on. Vapor quickly shrunk to a small size again and hid in Zim's boot. Zim rode up the elevator to the house.

                "Good morning, master!" Gir chimed happily. Zim flinched.

                "Shhh...speak softly please," Zim said, putting a finger in front of his mouth. "I didn't get any sleep last night, and I've got the worst headache..."

                "The show with the strong officer man and the gay robot is on!" Gir said, pointing at the TV, which had magically been fixed over night.

                "IT'S GO TIME!" the TV blared. Zim sighed and shook his head. He hurriedly put on his contacts and wig, and didn't bother to look in a mirror. He mumbled a "Goodbye" to Gir, then left the house. He walked down the sidewalk slowly, dragging his feet along the ground. Soon he was greeted by Dib, who always seemed to show up when Zim needed him the least.

                "Well, good morning Mr. Soon-to-be-exposed Alien! How are you this fine day?" Dib said with mock enthusiasm.

                "Eh..ir..pah," Zim mumbled, and he walked right past him. Dib blinked for a moment, then quickly ran ahead of Zim to stop him.

                "No threat? No evil laugh? No 'impending doom' or 'annihilation'?" Dib asked quizzically. He glared at Zim. "Okay...what's going on?!" Zim blinked slowly, then yawned deeply. He rubbed his eyes, which were getting irritated by his contacts.

                "Uh...you got an antennae sticking out there," Dib said, pointing. Zim felt at his head, then shrugged.

                "Please Dib, just let me get to skool, I really don't want to be screamed at by Ms. Bitters again, especially since I got a migrane..," Zim said quietly, and he walked around Dib and continued towards the skool. Dib turned around and watched Zim trudge across the street, his cheek twitching.

                "He's hiding something...I just know it."

                (^-^) I had more, but I didn't feel like typing anymore(can you say 'carpal tunnel'?) I'm kinda happy how this is going. I also like doodling little Shadoles at school too..~glee~ Well, I'll see ya peeps later. Peace!

                                                                                                                -Crystal


	3. Chapter 3

                Yes, another new chapter. I'm liking this story, and I am taking another short break from BSIU because I just don't feel like writing that new chapter right now. Would you rather have a chapter that sounds strained because I forced myself to do it, or would you like a nice, fluent chapter that makes sense and is worth reading?(I don't want another chapter like Chapter 12...I hate myself for that) Why am I rambling about another story?! This story needs written!

                On planet Flexion, Invader Puck was lounging in his lab, eating raw cabbage. All his friends told him he smelled bad and that he always had dirt in his teeth, but he didn't care. He wouldn't give up his cabbage eating ways. He'd given up on his mission a while ago. He hated the Tallest, and they hated him. That's why he was so surprised when the Tallest called him.         

                "What do _you two want?!" Puck demanded, spitting cabbage._

                "We send you package. You open package. You drink what is in package. Bye bye," Red yelled enthusiastically. He waved his arm wildly in the air and hit Purple in the process. Purple rubbed at his face.

                "You simpleton, don't you have full possession yet?!" Purple asked angrily.

                "I'm getting there..," Red said, and his arms shuddered.

                "It's been over two days, how long does it take?!" Purple said with a sigh.

                "The only reason it's harder for me is because your target was a complete idiot!" Red yelled, crossing his arms. Purple raised his hand and started to say something, but noticed that Puck was watching them intently.

                "We'll see you later," Purple said quickly, and the transmission ended. Puck scratched his head, confused. The Tallest had never called him during his entire mission. Why would they send him a package for no reason? Puck shrugged and decided to take a nap. 

-------------------------

                "...sometimes they made the mothers throw the baby, and the shooter would try to kill both of them in one shot. Sometimes they'd pour ice water in a barrel and see how long the baby could live in it." Ms. Bitters was teaching history, a subject that nobody in the class particularly enjoyed. Ms. Bitters would never tell the children about the good things in history. All she would teach was the grim, ugly things like war and torture.

                Zim was the only one who usually enjoyed Ms. Bitters's teachings on war, and sometimes even took notes, but today was different. He was laying on his desk, his head laying on his folded arms. One time, he fell asleep, but Dib shot a rubber band at him before even a minute went by.

                "Zim, are you paying attention?" Ms. Bitters asked. "You do realize you'll be in a LOT of trouble if you fall asleep, don't you?"

                "You don't know the half of it," Zim replied, and he rubbed his eyes. Ms. Bitters raised an eyebrow and twined her fingers together. She sighed and shook her head.

                "Don't make me get out Ol' Holey, Zim," Ms. Bitters hissed..

                "Who's Ol' Holey?" Zim asked, yawning. Ms. Bitters grinned. She pulled a key out of her pocket and shoved it into one of the many drawers in her desk. She turned the key slowly until she heard a click. She opened the drawer slowly and pulled something out of it.

                "THIS is Ol' Holey!" Ms. Bitters yelled holding a paddle high over her head. It had many holes in it, making it less air resistant. Zim's eyes bulged, and he sat up straight. Dib grinned, trying to imagine Zim getting paddled by Ms. Bitters. He busted up laughing and pounded his desk with his fist.

                The class stared at Dib as he laughed hysterically, and Ms. Bitters growled. She slithered through the air carrying the paddle. She stopped behind Dib, raised the paddle, then swung at his head. Dib quickly ducked and quieted down. 

                "Your teacher is a freak," Zim heard Vapor say quietly.

                "Shut it," Zim said, and he sat his head on his desk.

-------------------------

                After history, it was time for arts and crafts. Zim sat in the back of the room at the large table. He had a piece of paper in front of him and a black crayon in his hand, and he was mindlessly scribbling circles on it. Dib sat in front of him, glaring. Dib was drawing a picture of an alien that resembled Zim being cut open by a scientist that resembled Prof. Membrane. When he finished his drawing, Dib smiled and held it up for Zim to see.

                "What do ya think, Zim? Realistic, no?" Dib said.

                "Beautiful hot wax..," Zim stuttered, staring off in space. Dib raised an eyebrow, then waved his hand in front of Zim's face. Zim didn't even blink.

                "Hey, Zim. After skool, do you wanna come over to my house so I can cut you open and send your innards to the army?" Dib asked with fake joy.

                "Sure," Zim replied, and he yawned. Dib scratched his head. Zim wasn't any fun to torment today. Dib was getting frustrated.

                "Do you want to marry my sister Zim? Should I tell her that you're madly in love with her?" Dib asked, his cheek twitching. Zim looked at him with wide eyes, then busted up laughing. His wig fell off and landed in a bucket of paste. This made Zim laugh harder. He stopped abruptly, and he fell limp on the desk. Dib stared at him, confused. He heard a soft snoring sound.

                "Is he asleep?" Dib asked Phlem, the other kid sitting at the table. Phlem shrugged, then continued his work. Dib scratched his head and picked up a pencil. He poked Zim on the shoulder with the tip.

                "Yo, Zim?" Dib asked quietly.

                "What?!" Zim yelled, sitting up. He pulled his wig out of the paste bucket and placed it back on his head without cleaning the paste off of it. Dib jumped, startled by Zim's yell. Dib studied Zim's face for a moment. Something about it had changed, but he couldn't figure out what.

                "What are you staring at, boy?!" Zim demanded, and he snatched Dib's glasses away.

                "Hey! I need those!" Dib cried out angrily, waving his arms in front of him blindly. He fell off his chair, knocking the bucket of paste off the table. It landed on his head. Zim laughed at him.

-------------------------

                The skool day continued on, and Dib watched Zim the whole time. Zim never called Dib by his name, but always called him 'boy'. Dib watched with amazement as Zim ate everything on his tray at lunch. He watched as Zim raised his hand and answered questions correctly in class. Ms. Bitters hissed at Zim, asking if he was cheating. Zim had answered 'No, ma'am.'. Ms. Bitters had shuddered and sent him to the corner in the room. When skool finally let out, Dib followed Zim out the door and confronted him.

                "What's going on, Zim?! You've been acting strange all day!" Dib said angrily. "You're up to something! Now explain!"

                "If you would be so kind as to get out of my way, boy, so I can get back to my home. I have things planned for tonight, and I'm expecting a few of my friends to pop by. Cheerio," Zim replied, and he walked around Dib.

                "Cheerio? CHEERIO?!" Dib shouted. He quickly got in front of Zim and pulled a water gun out of his backpack. "Don't make me use this, Zim. Tell me what's going on, or else."

                Zim sighed in annoyance. "Don't pester me with such childish things, boy. I have work to do, and I can't have you bothering me with your antics. Now put that toy away and go home."

                Dib's eyes bulged. Zim had always been fearful of Dib's water gun whenever he had pulled it out. Now he was just annoyed with it. Zim cleared his throat and walked around Dib again. Dib growled. He spun around and aimed the water gun at Zim.

                "How's this for antics?!" he yelled, and he fired. Water sprayed all over Zim, who froze in place. Zim looked down at his hands and watched in horror as they started to smoke. 

                "What's happening to me?!" Zim screamed as his whole body writhed in pain. Dib watched with glee, then fired another shot of water at the smoking alien. Zim yelled louder, and Dib raised an eyebrow. He heard two voices screaming, one Zim's and the other belonging to some new person.

                "Uh...Zim?" Dib asked, confused. Dib yelped as he saw a black figure leap out of Zim's body. The figure darted towards Dib, stopped and glared at him, then darted into the drainage ditch in the road.

                Dib stared at the drainage ditch for a long time, wide eyed and pale. His mouth hung open and his hands were shaking. The water gun fell out of his hand and broke in two on the ground. Zim whined behind him.

                "What...?" Dib stuttered, and he pointed at the drainage ditch.

                "Oiy...I wouldn't want to do that again," Zim said tightly, and he forced himself to a standing position. He took off his wig and squeezed it, letting the mixture of paste and water drip out of it slowly. He put it back on his head and bent backwards, cracking his spine. He popped the transmitter out of his backpod.

                "Gir, come pick me up," he said, and Gir quickly arrived. Zim hopped on his back and jetted back to his base, leaving Dib staring dumbly into space.

-------------------------

                "Did you drink your black liquid?" Red asked Invader Puck. Puck nodded, and he grinned evilly. His eyes were now brown with dark circles under them, just like Red's.

                "Good. All right, Ink. Me and Screwball here are going to check on Vapor. Contact him as soon as we tell you to. That away, we can get things started as quickly as we can," Purple said.

                "Yes, my Queen, as you wish. What should I do while you contact Vapor?" Puck asked.

                "Do as you please. You have my permission to destroy the planet if you want. Fire at will, possess as many people as you want, but when we start our conquest, you MUST have the body you're in now. Queen Shade out."

-------------------------

                Yay! If you're confused, good! You should be asking questions! They will be answered later on, so don't bust your brain trying to figure it out. Seeya later!

                                                                                                                                                -Crystal


	4. Chapter 4

                Sorry I haven't been updating this fic that much. I've really been feeling sick lately, so pardon my absence. Anyways, I suggest you read this chapter CAREFULLY. There is a lot of important stuff here, and if you don't read it slowly, you won't understand it.

                Chapter 4

                "...and then there was this horrible floating thing, and it leaped from his body! It was insane! It was a ghost or something! And it didn't like water, just like Zim!" Dib yelled, chasing after his dad.

                "That's nice, son," the Prof. said, not really listening, and he continued down the steps to his lab. "Now now, you can't come down here. I'm working with very unstable chemicals, and I'm still not sure how they'll react to each other," he said, and he entered his lab, slamming the door behind him. Dib sighed, then went up the stairs and back into the kitchen to continue his breakfast. Gaz was there, eating toast and drinking a glass of orange juice. She was still in her pajamas.

                "Dad wouldn't listen to me," Dib said sadly as he took his seat at the table. Gaz stared blankly at him, then shook her head. "I mean, what if this new ghost thing is a bigger threat than Zim? Zim was acting funny all day, maybe he knows what it is," Dib said, thinking aloud. Gaz grunted angrily, grabbed her orange juice, and took it to the living room.

                "I don't want to hear you stupid rantings this early on a Saturday morning, Dib," she said, and she turned on the TV. Just when she got comfy, there was a knock at the door. Gaz growled irritably. "DIB! GET THE DOOR!" she yelled into the kitchen. Dib was too deep in thought to hear her. Gaz sighed in annoyance, jumped off the couch, walked over to the door and opened it. 

                "What do YOU want?" Gaz asked angrily, wishing she could slam the door.

                "I need to talk to Dib," Zim said, and he walked in. He was carrying what looked like a purple briefcase.

                "He's in the kitchen," Gaz said, and she sat back down on the couch. Zim nodded and headed toward the kitchen. Dib sat with his back toward him, drinking a cup of milk. Zim cleared his throat to get his attention. Dib spun around and spit up his milk when he saw Zim. He jumped on the table, holding up a spoon menacingly.

                "What do you want, Zim?!" Dib demanded, glaring. Zim blinked, then put the briefcase on the table. He pushed a button, and it transformed into a computer. Zim typed a password in, pushed a few buttons, and brought up a picture of the black ghost.

                "That's...that's that thing!" Dib said, and he climbed down from the table and joined Zim at the computer.

                "It's called a Shadole. They're a species of ghost that like to possess people. I did some research in my lab last night on them." He brought up a picture of a different Shadole on the screen. It was colored a mixture of purple and black. Its head was in a tear drop shape, just like Vapor's, but at the the sides, it peeled off into a curl. There was a jewl in the center of its forehead, which glowed neon green. 

                "This is Queen Shade," Zim said, pointing at the screen. "She is over 3,500 years old. Nobody really knows her exact age. She is the most powerful Shadole, and the ruler over the whole species. I learned from my research that the Irken empire had a long war with the Shadoles. We won, of course, but many people died and most of our cities were destroyed. After the war, the Tallest that ruled back then exiled the entire species into a black hole. Queen Shade and her personal servants were thrown into a seperate black hole from the rest."

                "Then how come theres a Shadole thingy on Earth?" Dib asked.

                "The one that attacked me was named Vapor. He was one of Queen Shade's closest servants. I'm guessing that they all got out of the black hole some how, and are planning to attack the Irken empire again. They're probably going to attempt to open the black hole with the rest of their species in it too." Zim clenched his fist angrily and growled. He slammed his fist on the desk. "I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN!" he yelled, startling Dib. "That's why YOU are going to help me," he said, turning to face Dib.

                "What?! Why me! I don't care about you're stupid little empire! It can be destroyed for all I ca-" Dib said, but Zim pounced on him. He pinned Dib to the ground and glared at him.

                "If the Shadole species is freed, they won't attack us Irkens head on. They will try to make it seem like everything is going great. That means that they will possess all the invaders first, use their bodies to destroy that planet they're on, and come back to Irk as a heroes. When they finally do decide to attack us, all of the unimportant planets will already be destroyed or enslaved by them, and we won't be suspecting a thing," Zim said tightly. Dib stared up at him blankly. "You didn't understand a word, did you?" Dib shook his head. Zim sighed, then stood up.

                "I suppose it doesn't matter that you don't understand. Just know that if we don't stop them, we're all dead," Zim said, wiping the dust from the floor off his clothes. "So far, me and you are the only two people in the entire universe that knows what is going on. If we try to warn people, they won't believe us. That's why we have to work together, even if we don't want to."

                "How the heck are we going to stop them?!" Dib said standing up as well. Zim flashed a smile at Dib. "Let me guess...I'm the bait?" Zim nodded. Dib sighed and shook his head, muttering to himself is discontent. Zim closed up his computer and started to leave.

                "Report to my house at 2 pm. NO CAMERAS," Zim said as he left, slamming the door behind him.

---------

                "YOU WHAT?!" Purple shouted with rage. Red was keeping his distance. Vapor flinched, watching Purple twitch in anger on the transmission screen. Vapor cleared his throat and looked down.

                "I couldn't control the Irken..," he said softly. Purple grabbed the sides of his head and shrieked in anger. Red backed away even more, trying to stay clear. "I'm sorry, my Queen...he was stronger than I thought...I was foolish...forgive me," he continued shakily. Purple got control of himself and glared at Vapor.

                "Foolish?! You were idiotic! Half-witted! Simple! Brain-dead! You possess the intellect of a house fly!" Purple screamed over the monitor. "You're even worse than this pathetic creature!" he yelled, pointing at Red. Red just nodded and accepted the insult, afraid to anger Purple even more.

                "B-but...my Queen, I'm still in his lab. I could try again, and I wouldn't be as cocky as before. I'd do it quickly...if you'd forgive me and give me another chance, that is," Vapor pleaded. Purple folded his arms and sighed, looking up towards the ceiling. 

                "I know you're good, Vapor. You're a good henchman. I know you are. But this flaw will not go overlooked. After we gain full control over all the invaders, you'll be punished. For now you can just carry out your mission," Purple said, rubbing at his forehead. Red slowly approached him, seeing that he was calming down.

                "And try not to screw up this time!" Red yelled. Vapor glared at him. Purple glanced over at Red and shook his head in disgust. He looked back at Vapor.

                "Queen Shade out," he said.

------

Okay, very sorry this chapter took so long to post. Now, I will TRY to do a new chapter of Dib-ario before Christmas, but it is a big if. I'm very sorry for lack of updates peeps. Please forgive me.

-Crystal


	5. Chapter 5

                WOO! New chapter time! I told you that I'd have a new one up! But did you believe me?....uh. I dunno, I can't read minds. But here it is! Read on!

                Chapter 5

                Dib reported at Zim's house exactly at 2. He was a little anxious about the whole thing, wondering if Zim was planning something against him. He stood in front of Zim's fence for a little while, deciding if he should go or not.

                'What if Zim and that ghosty Shadole thing are working together? What if Zim was pretending the whole thing and the ghost I saw pop out of him was a hologram?' he thought to himself, and he scratched his head nervously. The gnomes were watching his every movement. 'Zim's probably watching me. I guess there's no turning back now. If I run off, he'll probably hunt me down.' He took a deep breath and marched across the path to the house's door, the gnomes watching him as he went.

                Dib reached for the doorbell, and just as he went to ring it, the door swung open and Zim pulled him in. Dib stared at him, mouth open, surprised by the fact that Zim wasn't wearing his disguise or trying to act human.

                "What the heck were you doing?! Vapor probably saw you and knows what we're doing! He could be planning a counter attack! What good are we then?!" Zim said hotly. He didn't look angry, but frightened. If Zim was pretending everything, he was doing a great acting job.

                "Uhm...sorry?" was all Dib could think of to say. Zim shook his head and sighed.

                "Whatever...come on," Zim said, grabbing Dib around the wrist and leading him to the kitchen. He tapped his foot twice and a staircase formed, leading to the second floor of the house. Zim let go of Dib's wrist and headed up the stairs.

                "What...aren't we going into your lab?" Dib asked, going up a few steps then stopping. This could still be a trap. Zim stopped and looked down at him.

                "We can't," he said sternly and started up the stairs again.

                "Why?"

                "I'm.....Vapor's down there," Zim said, his voice shaking slightly. "Now come on, we have to get this done," he said quickly, covering up what Dib thought was fear. Dib smiled slightly and followed up the stairs, glad to see a weakness in his enemy at last.

                'So...it is possible to frighten Zim. That proves he isn't a total idiot,' Dib thought to himself, and he stored this information in his mind for later use. They reached to top of the steps and found themselves in a room which resembled an attic. There was a large table in the middle of the room with a pile of papers scattered on it and a computer in the corner.

                "I've got everything planned out pretty much. You're going to put on a hologram of me and walk around stupidly. I'll be watching you and following you around, but you won't see me. When Vapor finds you, which will probably only take a few minutes, I'll thrown this little doo-hicky at him," Zim said, and he pulled an oval shaped contraption out of his backpod. There was a hole on one side and what looked like a window on the other. The window let off a purple glow.

                "What's that?" Dib said, pointing.

                "I haven't really thought of a name," Zim said, scratching at his head. "See, this thing will electrocute Vapor and then it will suck his arms and the lower half of his body into here, locking him in place. He'll be totally defenseless." Zim grinned and held the machine out to Dib proudly.

                "Have you tested it?" Dib said, taking the machine in his hands and inspecting it.

                "Uhm..," Zim mumbled, looking down at his boots. Dib looked up at him angrily.

                "You're risking MY life for YOUR race and you don't even know if this will work?!" Dib yelled angrily, throwing the machine at Zim. Zim caught it, sat it on the table, and pulled at one of his antenna.

                "Well...I haven't actually had time to find a Shadole to test it on," Zim said, laughing nervously.

                "Oh, I am so out of here," Dib said angrily, and he stomped off toward the stairs.

                "But," Zim said quickly, chasing after him. He got in front of Dib and blocked the stairs. "You can't leave! You'll only be destroying yourself!" Dib kicked Zim hard on the shin then pushed him down to the ground. He quickly got on top of him and pinned him by his shoulders.

                "I bought it for a while, Zim, but I knew you were just acting. I have to admit though, you were a good actor. But did you think your little trick would work? 'Oh, Dib, suddenly I need your help even though you're a stupid, puny human with the brain of a cockroach,'" Dib said mockingly. Zim stared up at him, his antenna flat against his head. "Oh please. Zim, you must think I'm really dumb to fall for that type of thing. Your trap didn't work. Too bad, so sad."

                Zim glared up at him. "Do you actually think that I would sink that low?" he said, his voice low and angry. Dib laughed scornfully. Zim watched him, feeling a deep hatred grow inside of him. He forced Dib off of him and kicked him in the stomach. 

                Dib got up quickly and ran at Zim, trying to tackle him. Zim dodged him, sticking his leg out so Dib would trip. Dib fell over and slid into the wall, doing a headstand. Zim came running at him, but Dib kicked at him and hit his cheek. Zim was sent to the floor from the force of the kick, and Dib was on top of him again.

                "Children, children," a voice said, chuckling. "You must settle down." Zim and Dib stopped fighting and saw Vapor floating by the computer. He grinned, seeing Zim's face go white. Zim hastily pushed Dib off of him and scrambled toward the stairs. Vapor cut him off.

                "Come now, we mustn't play this little game," Vapor said, and he glared at Zim. "You've caused me enough trouble already." Zim backed away slowly, then turned and broke into a run. He stopped abruptly, for Vapor was already in front of him.

                "...uh...Dib?" Zim called out shakily, backing away from Vapor. Vapor was stretching out his body so he surrounded Zim completely. He grinned at Zim, his periwinkle blue eyes sparkling. Zim didn't know what to do. "Dib..." he called out again, panic showing in his voice. "Dib...Dib!" 

                Vapor lunged toward him. Zim shrieked and popped a wire out of his backpod, electricity flowing through it. Vapor laughed. "Did you think you could shock me again? You poor little Irken, you," he said, and he swatted the wire back at Zim. Zim screamed in pain as he was electrocuted, then collapsed to the floor when the wire finally retracted into the backpod.

                While this was going on, Dib was watching intently, trying to decide if what he was seeing was a hologram or not. Zim had seemed honestly surprised when Vapor appeared, and frightened as well, but Dib still had his doubts and didn't answer Zim's desperate cries.

                Vapor tightened the circle around Zim, who struggled to a standing position. This time he had two wires popped out of his backpod. Vapor shook his head, annoyed now. "Some people just never learn," he said sighing. He lunged at Zim again, easily dodged the wires, and forced himself into Zim's body.

                At first, Zim just stood there, looking like a zombie and feeling numb. But then a horrible burning pain spread throughout his body as Vapor attempted to control him. He felt every pore in his skin ripping open, and something was blocking his throat. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think or see. 

                "NO! DIB! HELP!" Zim cried desperately, and he grabbed at his head and fell to his knees. Inside his mind, Vapor was laughing. Zim could hear nothing else, just Vapor's horrible laughter. It went on and on, taunting him. He had to make it stop. It only grew louder. He couldn't bear to hear it much longer. It had to stop. His head throbbed. He was choking.

                Dib didn't know what to do. He got up and ran toward the table to get the egg shaped machine, but wasn't sure how to work it or if it would work at all. He stared at Zim and watched as he pushed at the sides of his head and pulled at his antenna. Dib looked down at the machine in his hand and back at Zim. "I don't know what to do!" he said, feeling helpless.

                'What's wrong? Feeling a bit overwhelmed?' Vapor chimed in Zim's head, and he forced Zim's arms away from his head. 'No...' Zim thought weakly. He could feel himself fading. He couldn't be taken like this. He had to fight. 'NO!' he thought again, and he fought Vapor and took control of his arms again, grabbing at his antenna. Zim saw Vapor sneer in his mind, and could feel his annoyance.

                Dib was creeping toward Zim, being cautious about his movements. He might end up hurting Zim more, or he could be attacked. Dib stood about 10 feet away Zim. He closed one eye and took careful aim. "Catch, Zim!" he yelled loudly, and he threw the machine at Zim. The words echoed in Zim's mind and it took Zim a moment to fully understand what they meant. He stuck his hands out just in time and caught the machine.

                A bright purple light filled the room, and yellow bolts of electricity came out of the machine. They all headed directly at Zim, but when they hit him, it didn't seem to hurt. Vapor was the only one screaming. Zim could hear it in his mind, and it grew louder and louder with every second. Zim was afraid his head would burst, but then the machine began to vacuum Vapor into it, and Zim breathed deeply when he was finally extracted from his body. He sighed and flopped down on the floor, resting.

                The machine finally shut off, locking Vapor in place. Vapor panted for a moment, then yelled angrily and struggled to get loose. Dib fell to a sitting position in pure relief and rubbed his forehead.

                "Let me go this instant!" Vapor shrieked from the machine, his shoulders, neck, and head the only things visible. He tried to pull free once again, and the machine shocked him as punishment. I mechanical arm reached down from the ceiling and picked up Vapor and the machine. It brought him up to the roof and placed it in a shelf for later use.

                Dib sighed and looked over at Zim. His chest was moving up and down quickly, and he was trembling. Dib pulled himself up and slowly walked up to him. Zim sat up and rubbed his head, his eyes closed and his face pale.

                "Uhm...Zim...I," Dib stuttered trying to think of something to say. He didn't want to apologize to his enemy, after all, Zim was an alien, but he did feel bad for whatever happened to him.

                Zim groaned and hugged his stomach. "You can go home now," Zim said softly, and he laid down again. Dib nodded and headed for the steps, but a thought hit him. Zim was very weak right now - Dib couldn't ignore this advantage.

                'I could easily put him in a bag or something..,' Dib thought scratching at his chin. He smiled, remembering that he'd brought a duffel bag with him just in case something like this should happen. He started to get it out, but his conscious stopped him.

                'No...it wouldn't be right,' he thought. '...but..I can't let this opportunity slide away from me! I'll never get another chance like this!' He was arguing with himself. It wasn't until he was outside that he realized Gir had led him away.

-------------------------

                "I told you Vapor was an idiot," Puck said, slamming his fist on the computer. Purple nodded in agreement. "He's wasting valuable time! We have to get all of this possession stuff BEFORE the star explodes!" He threw the deactivated SIR unit at the wall.

                "Please settle yourself, Ink. There's no use getting upset over things out of your control," Purple said, although he seemed even angrier than Puck. "We'll let you decide his punishment, and then you can kill the Irken who's causing him so much trouble as well."

                "Thank you, my Queen," Puck said, satisfied with this new information. "I promise Vapor will never make another mistake like this again. The miserable Irken will learn not to mess with the Shadole empire." 

                Purple nodded. "You can make those plans as we wait for Vapor to contact me," he said, scratching at his arm. Red suddenly appeared at his side, sucking on a soda. He saw Puck on the video screen and groaned in disgust.

                "You know Ink, I never knew it was possible, but that body you're in right now is uglier than you are," he said, taking a sip out of his soda. Puck clenched his fists in anger.

                "I would watch was I say if I were you, Screwball. I'm only 4 possessions away from beating the record," Puck said, grinning. Red's eyes got big, and he became angry.

                "Yeah..well...I'm with the Queen, and you're not!" Red said, grabbing Purple's arm. Purple glared at him, then punched him hard in the stomach, knocking him down.

                "Don't you ever touch me!" Purple yelled, and Red pulled himself up.

                "But..h-he was insulting me, my Queen! He had to be taught! I'm better than him!" Red said, upset.

                "Oh, Screwball, you'll never amount to anything but a butler," Purple snapped back at him. 

                Puck smiled, watching the two fight. "I'll leave you guys alone. Ink out."

-------------------------

                ~glee~ I got the new chapter done already! Wow! How fast was that! I once again apologize for lack of updates lately, hopefully I'll have a new chapter up of Dib-ario and this during Christmas vacation. I hope you're liking this story. ^_^

                                                                                                -Crystal


	6. Chapter 6

Better late than never, I suppose. I do have to apologize, this is very late. I can't believe its been over 2 months. Jeez. I'm sorry guys. I didn't post anything at my scheduled date(Feb. 3) because there is something very **bad** going on with my family. I don't wanna go into though, 'kay? Cancer related, that's all I can say.

                As for Dib-ario, I want to get another chapter out soon, but seeing how things are going, I doubt it gets done. My new story that was supposed to come out will be put aside for a little while. Sorry guys.

-------------------------               

                Chapter 6

                Three days had passed since Vapor had attacked Zim and Dib, yet he still remained where he was, trapped in a machine sitting on a shelf. Vapor had tried desperately to get loose from the machine, but it just kept shocking him whenever he made the slightest movement so he eventually had given up.

                "That filthy little Irken," Vapor growled through clenched teeth. "I almost had him...If that stupid other boy wouldn't have been there, I would've had him!" He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "The Queen is going to kill me for this, I just know it." 

                On the first floor of the house, Zim was laying on the couch dozing. He hadn't done anything but sleep and watch TV since the attack. He didn't feel as weak as before and he could talk without getting out of breath, but he still wasn't sure of his strength and had decided to have one more day of rest.

                "I made you some chicken soup, master!" Gir chimed happily, carrying a large bowl in front of him. Zim opened one of his eyes to look at the little robot and saw a live chicken sitting in some disgusting looking broth. The chicken squacked and tried to get loose, but Gir grabbed it by the neck and jammed it back into the bowl. "It's fresh too!"

                "Uhm...I'm full right now Gir. Thanks anyway," Zim said softly, staring at the chicken. Gir smiled and nodded.

                "Okay. I'll sit it on the table for you to eat later!" Gir said, and he sat the bowl on the end table beside the couch. As Gir left the room, the chicken screeched loudly and flew out of the bowl. The bowl tipped over and spilled on Zim's head, and the chicken started running around in circles looking for an exit.

                "...I think I'll get up," Zim said to himself.

-------------------------

                Invader Puck was entering Earth's atmosphere. He had been sent by Queen Shade to search out Vapor and the Irken he had failed to conquer. He was to destroy Vapor and capture the Irken.

                "Vapor can no longer be trusted to do simple missions anymore," Purple had said angrily when he had contacted him two days before. "He has failed to communicate with us and tell us his status, meaning he has either been captured, which is highly unlikely, or he has failed and fled from his punishment." Purple cracked his knuckles. "He must learn that he must take responsibility for his actions. Make sure you teach him that."

                "Yes, my Queen," Puck had replied, bowing slightly.

                "Yes, my Queen, oh how I love thee! Why don't I kiss your shoes and lick the floor you've walked on!" Red mimicked in a high pitched voice. "What a load a bull-"

                Purple had slapped him across the face.

                "Oh, and Ink," Purple said slowly, turning to face the screen. "Could you bring me that little Irken that Vapor so horribly failed to possess? I would love to meet him."

                "With pleasure. Ink out."

-------------------------

                "Zim wasn't in class today," Dib said to his sister, trying desperately to match her pace. She regarded him with a grunt of impatience. "He hasn't been in skool all week." Gaz kicked a stone at a lamp post. The stone dented the metal. Dib stopped in his tracks and let his sister alone. He wasn't about to try her patience.

                "La la la, doo de!" Keef sang. He was skipping happily down the street, flailing his arms. Dib ran to him and grabbed his shirt collar.

                "Keef! Zim hasn't been in skool for 3 days! There was this creepy black thingy of evil, and it-"

                "Of course Zim hasn't been in skool, silly," Keef said with a laugh. "He's hibernating!" Dib stared at him for a moment, then sighed. He let Keef's shirt collar go.

                "Keef, that squirrel is not Zim," Dib mumbled. Keef smiled.

                "Who said anything about squirrels?" Keef said, staring in two directions at once. He laughed at Dib. "You're crazy!" He gave Dib a cookie and continued to skip down the street.

-------------------------

                "Do you honestly expect me to tell you anything?" Vapor said angrily, glaring. He's was still trapped in Zim's machine.

                "No," Zim replied. "I expect you to listen." He cracked his knuckles. "You are a Shadole, correct? And your name is Vapor. You're one of Queen Shade's lackeys. And you were gonna use my body to destroy Earth so you go back to Irk a hero and keep our guards down? Am I correct?"

                Vapor didn't answer.

                "Your silence assures me of my accuracy. What I don't understand is why this planet? And why me?" Zim asked, staring at Vapor. Vapor shifted uncomfortably where he was trapped. He didn't like being questioned.

                "You know, I do have ways to loosen your tongue. And trust me, they're not nice," Zim said angrily. He had a headache and wasn't exactly having the best day, and Vapor wasn't going to cooperate. He rubbed his forehead.

                "Shadole's don't have tongues," Vapor replied wryly, grinning. Zim glared at him, then sighed heavily. "Maybe you should just go lay back down on the couch," Vapor said, and he chuckled softly.

                "Computer, let 3 drops of water fall on subject Vapor every 15 seconds," Zim said dryly, and a water dropper came down from the ceiling. "Remember water?" Zim said, pointing at the dropper. "It isn't good. Heh heh, yep." Zim turned, switched the only light in the room off and left, slamming the door behind him.

-------------------------

                Ink landed in a forest by a lake. He had sedated Invader Puck's body and stored it inside his ship, then cloaked his ship so it wouldn't be noticed. He had quickly  possessed a teenage boy who had been taking his girlfriend for a walk. He had killed the girl. Before Ink left his ship, he had to get some coordinates.

                "Computer, give me the coordinates of Vapor's location and the last place he contacted Queen Shade from." The computer clicked and whirred a few moments, then printed out the numbers. Ink read them and shook his head. "Are you sure this is right?" 

                "Exact coordinates given," the computer replied. "No errors detected. Is there a problem?"

                "The numbers are almost the same," Ink said, slapping the paper. "That would mean Vapor is still in the Irken's lab."

                "That is correct," the computer replied. "Shall I run a diagnostic?"

                "No, not yet anyway. I'll check it out." He walked past a few trees and left the forest, heading for the Irken's lab.

-------------------------

                Sorry that was so short and not really interesting. It's better than nothing though, right? And it's just to help the story move along. Sorry bout no updates.

                                                                                                                                -Crystal


	7. Chapter 7

I know it has been months. And I know that giving an excuse isn't gonna cut it, so I'm not gonna give you one. I'm not abandoning this story. I don't do that, unless I think it sucks. And this story don't suck. OH YEAH! Let's get back in the swing of things, shall we? I just hope you won't be disappointed.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Cheerios company.

                Chapter 7

                "There's a creepy pale boy with greasy hair at the front door!" Gir screeched from the living room. A few moments earlier someone had knocked at the door, and the little robot had happily rammed himself into the door multiple times before actually opening it. A tall teenage boy was behind the door, his eyes red with heavy bags under them. He had a crooked smile on his face as he looked inside Zim's base.

                "Tell Dib to go away!" Zim yelled from the kitchen. He was sprawled out on the floor, still feeling a tiny bit sick. He had found that the kitchen floor was the coolest place in his entire base, and, seeing how he was extremely hot and sweaty, he had decided to rest there.

                "But it aint Dib, master! Tis some different creepy boy thing!" Gir called back. He waved his arms in frantic circles.

                "Excuse me, green dog," the teenage boy said, his voice cold and smooth, "but I'm in a hurry." Gir smiled crazily and nodded his head up and down. "I need to know who lives here."

                "Ooooh..," Gir said, hugging himself. "Okay. MASTER, WHO LIVES HERE?!"

                Zim clenched his fists angrily and growled. He sat up, pulled his wig and contacts out of his backpod, and clumsily put them on. He forced himself up and stomped out of the room, muttering.

                "What do you want, evil teen thing?" Zim hissed at the teenager. The teenager looked Zim over, and his crooked smile grew larger.

                "Would you happen to be Zim?" the teen asked. Zim narrowed his eyes and took a step back from the teen.

                "Yess..," Zim quietly replied. The teenager's smile grew.

                "Zim. You're Zim?" the teen said. He fought back a laugh. "You?!" The teen burst into a fit of laughter. Zim looked over at Gir, perplexed. Gir shrugged, then joined in the laughter. "To think that we were worried over something like _you..."_

                "Wha...wait. Who are you anyway?!" Zim demanded, pouting and feeling flustered.

                "Before I answer your question, answer mine," the teen answered. He cleared his throat. "Were you recently attacked by a ghost-like figure?"

                Zim's eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly. He took two steps back. The teen smiled down at him and took a large stride toward him. His eyes began to glow a dull blue.

                "You're a shad-Uck!" Zim cried. The teen had quickly pulled a dart from his pocket and jabbed it into Zim's neck. Zim moaned and took a wobbly step to his right, then collapsed onto the floor.

                "Hee hee! Master fell down!" Gir cried with glee.

---------

                "How could you let an Irken like _that_ get the better of you?!" Ink shouted. "I mean, I know you're pathetic, but c'mon!"

                "I'm not pathetic!" Vapor shouted back. He tried to struggle out of the machine, and once again was punished with an electric shock. "I just was...arrogant."

                "Sure," Ink replied, and he shook his head. He had easily found the room Vapor was being held prisoner in. He only had to go down the elevator and find the correct door. It hadn't even been locked. "This Irken is an idiot, by the way. His security system didn't even go off when I went down the elevator shaft."

                "Shuddap. I know this Irken is simple. It wasn't him who got me stuck in this...thing," Vapor said sadly, motioning to the machine he was trapped in with his eyes.

                "Well, then," Ink said, "who did?"

                "A different boy. He's not Irken, and he doesn't know much about us or our plans. You can probably find him if you scan the Irken's memory with your computer," Vapor said. "I understand why the Queen wants the Invader, but I'm sure she'd have fun with this other boy as well."

                "Alright, then," Ink said, clapping his hands together. "I suppose my work here is at its end. I've only got one more minor thing left to do."

                "And that is?" Vapor asked. Ink pulled out a large blaster and pushed the tip of it into Vapor's face.

                "This."

---------

                "Dad?!" Dib cried, confused. "What are you doing home?" Dib was sitting on the couch, eating a bowl of Cheerios. Gaz was sitting at the other side of the couch, grunting as she played her video game. They both were startled when their father stumbled in.

                "What are you doing up at this hour?" the Prof. snapped back, pointing a gloved finger at Dib.

                "It's 7:48," Dib replied. "The sun is even still up."

                "Oh. Okay then," the Prof. said, satisfied. He walked over to the couch and sat in between his son and daughter. He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

                "So, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the lab?" Dib said, getting closer to his father. The Prof. shook his head sadly.

                "A new lab assistant knocked over some chemicals, and the whole lab IMPLODED!" the Prof. said, sticking his hands in front of him and clenching his fingers as he spoke. "I, thankfully, had an anti-implode kit with me and escaped. I'll just have to work in the house's lab until my main lab un-implodes."

                "Wow. That's awful," Dib said sympathetically.

                "Unh," Gaz grunted, not really paying attention.

                "A ho ho ho! Of course it is, son!" the Prof. laughed, rubbing Dib's head gingerly. Dib laughed nervously in response. Gaz watched the two and shrugged.

                'Boy, Dad must have lost it again,' Dib thought, forcing a smile as the Prof. continued to massage his head.

                The doorbell rang. Dib sighed in relief when the Prof. got up to answer it. He rubbed his sore head and tried to fix his hair. Meanwhile, the Prof. was murmuring to himself as he fumbled with the door's locks.

                "A caller at this hour? How dare thee!" he said as he opened the door. He shoved a finger into the person's cheek. "Though art rude!"

                "Uuuh...yeah. Can Dib come out to play?" the person asked. He swiped the Prof.'s finger away.

                "Hmmm...I dunno. I've never seen you before," the Prof. said, looking him over.

                "Who is it, Dad?" Dib asked, approaching his father.

                "Son, do you know this menacing looking teenager?" the Prof. said, motioning toward the teen. Dib shook his head.

                "No, Dad. I've never seen him before," Dib honestly replied.

                The teen cleared his throat. "I have important information regarding the Irken, Zim," he said. Dib's eyes grew wide, and he grinned.

                "I'm sorry, but-" the Prof. started, but Dib interrupted.

                "Wait, Dad! I just remembered. I _do_ know this guy, honest!" Dib said. He smiled innocently up at his father. The Prof. tapped his forehead for a moment, as if he was in deep thought.

                "Okay then. You two have fun," the Prof. said cheerfully. He pushed his son out the door, then slammed it shut.

                "So, you know about Zim, huh? How? What do you know?" Dib asked excitedly.

                "I know that you're about to join him," the teen replied, grinning.

                "Huh?" Dib said, and he felt a sharp pain in his neck. "Ooowahg..," he moaned, and he tripped over his own feet. The teen caught him before he hit the ground. He threw Dib over his shoulder and chuckled.

                "The Queen shall enjoy her new toys," the teen said, his eyes glowing blue.

---------

8 days later

---------

                "Uhn...ug..oh, ow," Dib mumbled as he came to. His neck was stinging with pain. He tried to rub it, but found that his hands were caught in something. He soon realized his feet were as well. He opened his eyes and blinked for a few moments until he adjusted to the light. Dib looked to the side to see where his hand was caught, and saw that it was in a large machine that connected to the wall. His other hand and his feet were in similar machines, and they were all connected through wires. Dib pulled away in an attempt to free himself, but it was useless.

                "Don't bother struggling," someone said softly. Startled, Dib let out a quick shriek and looked to his right.

                "Zim?" Dib asked, surprised. Zim was trapped in the same machinery as Dib. He looked tired and bruised, and he was panting. Dib cocked an eyebrow, confused. "What are you doing here? What happened? Where the heck are we?"

                "Quiet!" Zim shouted. "I'm trying to think." It was clear that he was frustrated. Dib glared at him from the side. Zim returned a glare, but he couldn't hold it for long. He sighed heavily and let his head hang low.

                "So Mr. High and Mighty Irken doesn't know where we are, huh? Tchh..," Dib spat, angry. "You're no help. I'll just get out of this thing myself and find out." He pulled away from the machines as hard as he could.

                "Dib, stop!" Zim cried, panicking. "Don't you think I tried that already?!" Dib stopped struggling and looked over at Zim. He looked deeply distressed by something. "If you keep trying to break free, a guard will come...and...he'll force you to stop." Zim looked away.

                "Hmph...well maybe you don't have much willpower, but I do," Dib snorted, and he started to struggle once more. Zim whined and began to plead with Dib to stop, but before Dib could shout back a response, the door to their left opened wide and a guard walked in.

                "I thought I dealt with _you_ already," the guard said, glaring at Zim. Zim kept his head low and winced, expecting a blow. Seeing this, the guard shook his head and chuckled to himself. He walked over to Dib and pulled a long rod out from his back pocket. He pushed a button on the rod, and the tip of it began to spark and glow.

                Dib managed to avert his eyes from the guard's weapon long enough to discover that he was Irken. The guard had his entire body covered in layers of clothing and armor, so it was very hard to tell what species he was from. The only things that gave him away were his eyes and green skin.

                "So your awake now, huh?" the guard spat a Dib. He put the tip of his weapon to Dib's chin, and Dib felt his skin begin to burn. "I hope you're a better prisoner than him." The guard gave Zim a dirty look "Don't struggle. Got it?" He forced his weapon harder into Dib chin. Dib cried out in pain, and the guard smiled.

                "Leave us, now."

                The guard seemed startled by the voice. He quickly backed away from Dib and faced the door. He saluted the person standing there and walked out.

                "My Tallest Purple!" Zim cried joyfully. He sighed heavily with relief and smiled. "Thank goodness! There must have been a misunderstanding of some sort, but now that you're here it can be cleared up."

                Purple hovered over to Zim and bent down low enough to be at his eye level. He took Zim's chin in his hand and turned his head slowly to the right, the left, and up. He seemed to be inspecting him. Purple let Zim's chin loose and took each of his arms in his hands. He squeezed them gently at first, then as hard as he could. Zim moaned softly, trying to hide his pain from his leader.

                "You have no muscles at all. You're a weak one, aren't you?" Purple said, letting go of Zim's arms. He jabbed Zim in the chest a few times, then lightly touched his stomach. "Very weak indeed." Purple stood upright, satisfied. He hovered over to Dib and inspected him just as he had Zim.

                "My Tallest?" Zim asked as he watched Dib being examined. "What's going on?" Purple didn't respond, but finished his work with Dib and hovered away from the two. He scratched his chin, thinking hard.

                "Neither of you are strong. Both of you are very small and insignificant. And, judging by your eyes and expressions, neither of you are very brave," Purple said slowly. He turned around to face the two prisoners. "And yet...you two are the only problems I face when it comes to my plans."

                Suddenly, the door opened wide and Red fell through it and on to the floor. He stayed there for a minute, then started giggling. Purple looked down at him with disgust, his cheek twitching uncontrollably.

                "Oh, am I late for something?" Red asked cheerfully, getting up and wiping himself off. He smelled bad and looked half asleep. He clumsily hovered over to where Purple was, hiccuped, and laughed. "Man, these royal Irken people that we are controlling have it made. The kitchen guy, he's just so nice, and -hic- they got these drinks and pretzels -hic- and I love that kitchen guy...I really do."

                Purple took Red by the neck and smacked him across the face a few times. Then he lightly tossed him to the ground and spat on him. Zim and Dib were deeply confused, especially Zim. He'd never seen the Tallest act this way, and had never thought that they would fight each other.

                "Ignore him," Purple said angrily, pointing at Red. "He is an idiot. Just like a bratty child, tagging along behind the older kids, trying to act cool. Pathetic."

                "I'm cool!" Red argued, crossing his arms across his chest and pouting.

                "Shut it."

                "Yes, my Queen."

                "'My Queen'?!" Zim cried out in surprise. "You mean, you're-"

                "Queen Shade? The ruler of the Shadoles? The most powerful being in this galaxy?" Purple said coldly, a smirk on his face. "Why my poor, confused Irken. I figured you had known that already. You're even more ignorant than Ink said you were."

                Zim glared at Purple with hate. "How dare you take our leaders," he hissed. He tried to pull away from the machines.

                "Don't struggle, Irken. I'll have that guard come in again and give you a harder beating than last time," Purple muttered, annoyed. "Or I can do other things to you. Those machines your stuck in don't just immobolize you. They are what kept you alive this past week."

                "Week?!" Dib shouted. "We've been here that long?!"

                "Ah, he speaks," Purple said with sarcasm, pointing at Dib. "Well, no, not a wekk exactly. It took Ink three days to get to the Massive and drop you off. So you've been stuck on this ship for only five days," he explained.

                "So, we've been off Earth for 8 days?" Zim asked, a little shocked as well.

                "The little Irken can add. Good for you," Purple laughed, and he clapped his hands.

                "Don't call me little," Zim growled angrily, pulling away from the machines once more.

                "Oh, right. As I was saying, those machines can do more than you know. The veins in your hands are actually connected to them right now, and that's how you're being fed. The machines can also move around a little, so if we wanted to break one of you limbs, we could do it. We could also electrocute you, or inject chemicals into your system. Would you like me to list everything that could be done to you, or are you just going to cooperate instead?" Purple asked. Zim didn't answer, but he did stop struggling. "There's a good boy," Purple said with a smile.

                "Yo, Queenie, aren't we supposed to be flying some place important?" Red asked, pointing at the door. "I thought we were supposed to tell the flying people something."

                Purple's eyes grew wide. "That's right! We have to let the pilots know where to go!" He looked down at Red and scratched his head. "I can't believe _you remembered that." Red smiled stupidly up at Purple and gave him the thumbs up sign. "Eh...yeah. Good job, Screwball." He faced Zim and Dib. "I'll be back later. Some chemicals will be introduced to your systems any minute now, and you two will be taking a little nap while I'm gone." He looked back down at Red. "Let's get going." Purple pulled Red off the floor, and the two of them left._

---------

                I had to end it there cause I just noticed how long it was. ^_^; Well, at least it got done. I hope you liked it.

                                                                                                                                -Crystal


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